Another pair of eyes

We, as Reference Librarians, have often been called “magic” because we’ve found an item that the patron has been unable to locate. This very situation happened to me today. While it’s nice to believe that we have magic powers and it’s even better to be able to help patrons and make them happy, I have to burst this bubble. More often than not, when we are able to find an item that seems to be hiding, it is because a second pair of eyes does the trick. In addition, we know that sometimes books are not put back in exactly the spot they are supposed to be or that a section wraps around the rows in a certain manner which is not immediately obvious. So if you are ever in the situation where you can’t find something, do not hesitate to ask one of us to be your second pair of eyes. We do it for each other all the time. That’s why we’re here.